Chapter 17: The Alchemy Handbook!
A dark passage led him underground.
“Just as I expected.”
Looking at the pitch-black tunnel, there was no surprise on Rhode’s face. Since Little Red’s Grandmother had chosen this place to research magic potions. Naturally, the place where she tested them wouldn’t be far either. The old witch’s potion laboratory was likely beneath this floor.
Rhodes changed into a clean set of clothes and took out a large flashlight from his personal storage space.
With a flash, a powerful beam illuminated the tunnel, bright as daylight. He followed the cramped stairway downward. After about thirty steps, the passage opened up. A spacious secret chamber spanning several hundred square meters came into view.
Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
Candles embedded in the walls ignited on their own, lighting up the dim space.
Rhodes scanned the interior of the chamber. It was massive, filled with all kinds of herbs and bizarre items: dried bat specimens, the corpses of various animals, and two silver wolves locked in cages.
Silver wolves were a rare variant among wolf-kind. Their blood contained the pure lupine lineage. Fresh blood drawn from a pure silver wolf was a key ingredient in crafting the Lycanthrope Potion. That’s why the old witch had kept two silver wolves; convenient for regular bloodletting when brewing potions.
But what caught Rhode’s attention were the cages in the corner, all covered in black cloth. He walked over and pulled one of the covers away.
A loud crash rang out from inside the cage. A razor-sharp claw struck out, stopping mere centimeters from Rhode’s eyes.
Unfazed, Rhodes grabbed the werewolf’s wrist and calmly examined the inside of the iron cage.
Inside was a werewolf with blood-red eyes, face twisted with bloodlust and madness. Its body was chained tightly to the wall, its bloody form revealing signs of recent, inhuman torture. There were close to twenty similar cages. Clearly, most of the werewolves in this forest were held hostage by the old witch as test subjects.
“There’s no humanity left in them. Living on would only be a torment.”
Rhodes took out a crucifix necklace, slowly wrapping it around his hand. Then, with a single punch, he shattered the werewolf’s skull.
Redemption. Under the purification of divine power, the werewolf died peacefully, without a trace of pain.
“May your Lord bless you,” Rhodes murmured, staring at the corpse.
It’d be a waste to just leave it here to rot and breed maggots. Might as well offer it to fuel his growth. That way, he could save more lost lambs in God’s name. Did it make sense? Well, Rhodes thought it did.
As the werewolf’s body was consumed by Equivaria, Rhodes felt a slight boost in his strength, about a 1% increase to his physique. It was such a subtle change that, without careful observation, it might’ve gone unnoticed.
“Knew I was being a bit too greedy.”
Rhodes shook his head. He’d hoped that exchanging all these werewolves would give his power a massive boost.
But this was all it was worth?
Then again, thinking about it, the stronger the body, the higher the level of life. Each upgrade required exponentially more energy. It was like comparing a human and a tiger. Both eating five pounds of meat, but the effects would be vastly different. A human might be stuffed to death, while a tiger would still be hungry.
So, as Rhodes grew stronger, the rewards in exchange for common fantasy creatures like werewolves would naturally diminish. If he offered all twenty of these werewolves, a 10% physique boost would already be a generous outcome.
Sure, that’s not much…But hey, meat is still meat, even if it’s ant meat.
Given his current strength, even a 1% increase was substantial.
“Time to spread some warmth!”
Rhodes lifted the black cloths one by one, delivering the “warmth” of the crucifix to each werewolf. Then, he gathered all the corpses into a pile.
A mystical light shone as the bodies slowly disintegrated. But this time, there was no increase in strength. Instead, something new appeared in his mind. Rhode’s eyes gleamed with surprise. Though his physical strength hadn’t grown, he had unexpectedly awakened a special bloodline ability.
By activating the hidden power in his werewolf bloodline, Rhodes could unleash a soul-shaking roar. It forced nearby creatures into a state of fear, robbing them of the will to resist. The power of the sound waves could even kill weaker beings outright. It was a dual attack, both mental and physical. Even plugging your ears wouldn’t help. An effective area-of-effect skill.
Rhodes was quite satisfied. Even if his physique didn’t improve, unlocking a powerful new skill was a great outcome.
He searched the lab thoroughly, storing away anything that could be used in potions. Now that he had mastered Alchemy, he could craft a variety of potions.
Though he had a decent stash, wasting resources wasn’t his style. At the potion preparation table, Rhodes found an aged-looking potion handbook. He casually flipped through a few pages, browsing the content. Suddenly, his relaxed gaze sharpened.